On Friday, Honda unveiled a brand new stationary gasoline cell energy system that may function the backup energy for its information middle at its American Honda headquarters in Torrance, California.
The stationary energy system makes use of second life gasoline cells taken from Honda’s Readability Gas Cell Electrical Autos. The person gasoline cells are bundled collectively in 250 kW stacks, with two of those stacks put in at Honda’s facility. The dual stacks can put out greater than 500 kW of energy in complete, which is greater than ample to cowl the 70 kW load of the total information middle.
American Honda VP of CASE & Power Jay Joseph opens up the stacks to showcase the gasoline cells inside. Picture credit score: Kyle Area, CleanTechnica
The system was put collectively as extra of a proof of idea, although it should function the backup energy for its information middle in day-to-day operations. Hydrogen for the system comes from a neighborhood storage tank and will be supplemented with a trailer of hydrogen from suppliers like Praxair or Linde. It at present makes use of gray hydrogen although it may use blue or inexperienced hydrogen sooner or later as provide will increase.
We spoke to the lead engineer for the system and he stated that the domestically saved hydrogen may energy the information middle for round 48 hours from the hydrogen stored available at which level Honda would usher in a trailer of hydrogen and be capable to seamlessly start utilizing the brand new hydrogen. Whereas small energy outages are usually not unusual in southern California, longer length energy outages are extraordinarily uncommon.
A trailer stuffed with Hydrogen is stationed subsequent to the stationary gasoline cell system. Picture credit score: Kyle Area, CleanTechnica
The brand new hydrogen gasoline cell energy system represents a push for Honda into offering backup energy methods and localized power storage. The preliminary methods will make the most of Honda’s current gasoline cells present in its Readability although Honda continues to actively develop a subsequent era gasoline cell system in partnership with Normal Motors.
Honda continues to be bullish on gasoline cells for each stationary storage and in its automobiles primarily based on its early progress with these subsequent era items. They’re at present forecasting that the following era gasoline cells will value one third of what the present gasoline cells do.
Honda believes these gasoline cells will present the inspiration for a totally new era of passenger automobiles, beginning with a Honda CRV primarily based gasoline cell car which is able to go into manufacturing at its manufacturing facility in Ohio within the midwestern United States in 2o24. Constructing on its current passenger car fleet, Honda plans to make use of these gasoline cells because the spine for bigger and extra succesful gasoline cell energy methods just like the one put in in Torrance at its services around the globe.
A mock up of a CRV gasoline cell that Honda expects to start producing at its manufacturing facility in Ohio, United States in 2024. Picture credit score: Kyle Area, CleanTechnica
Honda’s plans laid out a transparent path from the present applied sciences to deploying gasoline cells throughout its car fleet with a particular concentrate on heavy automobiles (see picture under). Heavy car segments like industrial automobiles and development automobiles are undoubtedly the decrease hanging fruit on the subject of gasoline cells as hydrogen manufacturing and fueling stations will be developed and put in on the level of use.
Public fueling infrastructure continues to be considerably missing in density and reliability, even in Southern California, the place a number of dozen stations have been put in. The scale of the problem and price of growing zero emission hydrogen manufacturing, compression, distribution, and fueling the place none exists can’t be understated. Battery electrical automobiles, then again, can cost up wherever with an outlet in a pinch.
It’s thrilling to see the gradual and regular progress Honda is making with hydrogen gasoline cells, however it’s onerous seeing the brand new stationary energy system set up in Torrance as something greater than a publicity stunt. It may very well be a path to the zero emission future finally, however with the local weather disaster inflicting vital, fast challenges on the world scale each day, do we actually have time to attend many years for Honda to deploy significant zero emission hydrogen options once they may very well be constructing and promoting zero emission battery electrical automobiles immediately?
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